Better Left Unsaid
by Lo of Popstar
Summary: While helping to rebuild Radiant Garden, Donald begins to develop feelings for Leon. In the face of society, common morality, and his girlfriend Daisy, what will become of the troubled duck?
1. Realization

**Disclaimer:** All of the Disney and Squaresoft characters, names, places, etc. in this story are the property of their original owners. I really don't own anything in this story. Don't sue me.

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**Better Left Unsaid**

**Chapter 1: Realization**

Several months had passed since the defeat of Xemnas and the fall of Organization XIII at the hands of Sora and Riku. Along with Kairi, the red-haired Princess of Heart, they now spent their days peacefully on Destiny Islands. Mickey had returned to Disney Castle to resume his role as king, joined by, of course, his faithful dog Pluto.

Donald and Goofy, however, after a brief period of rest at home with Mickey and the others, had returned to Hollow Bastion, or, as it was now called, Radiant Garden. The city was still being restored to its former glory, and Cid, Yuffie, and the others needed all the help they could get. Wanting to make a difference, Donald and Goofy would help with the construction during the day, staying at Merlin's house at night.

"I'm ready for another one, Donald!" Cid called. In response, the duck picked up a large brick and carried it over to the platform where Cid was working.

"You really should stop smoking, you know," Donald said, eyeing the cigarette in the middle-aged pilot's mouth.

Cid grinned. "Ain't much chance of that happening. Sometimes I feel like these are all that keep me alive these days."

Donald rolled his eyes and headed back to the pile of bricks. He leaned against a half-finished wall and sighed. Lately he was filled with a strange restlessness, and even the hard work he put in daily didn't help to take his mind off it.

Someone was climbing down the ladder. It was Leon. The young warrior had been laying bricks since dawn, but the wall was still far from completion. The heat had prompted Leon to take his jacket and shirt off. As he stood with his hands on his hips, examining his work, Donald noticed his muscular features.

Not one to be mendacious about his thoughts, he didn't mind admitting to himself that Leon's body was practically a work of art, something to be admired; it was a true testament to the warrior's physical prowess and hard-working nature. Of the group originally from Radiant Garden, Leon's strength was infamous, second, perhaps, only to Cloud's. While normally reticent and mild-mannered, Leon was an absolute devil in battle. Donald was glad that he had never been on the receiving end of one of Leon's furious attacks.

In truth, Donald had been thinking a lot about Leon lately. He found himself unable to stop smiling whenever he spoke with the brown-haired young man whose mere presence set Donald's heart beating at a faster rate than normal. Something about Leon gave him a feeling he just couldn't describe.

"Donald? Donald!" Leon said, waving a hand in front of Donald's face.

Blinking, Donald started. "Sorry," he said hurriedly.

"You were zoning out for a minute there," Leon laughed good-naturedly.

"Yeah, don't mind me," said Donald. "Whatcha need?"

Leon hesitated. "We've all been working hard, and Aerith has decided to throw a party to keep us all in good spirits. There'll be food, drinks, dancing, DDR, everything!"

"Really? Sounds fun!" exclaimed Donald, clapping his hands together. "I haven't played DDR since that time I was waiting for Sora to come out of the Winnie the Pooh book!"

Leon scratched his head and looked around strangely at everything but Donald. "Yeah, Cloud said he's going to ask Tifa to go with him."

Donald smiled sweetly. "That's really great. Those two make a really cute couple, in my opinion," he added. "And what about you, Leon? Who are you going with?"

The warrior looked surprised. "Huh, who am I going with?"

Donald winked and nudged him. "Gonna ask Aerith?"

Leon bowed his head. After a brief pause, he looked awkwardly over his shoulder. "I, uh, I have to go right now," he stammered, turning and walking off quickly.

Confused, Donald picked up a brick for Cid, who had just called for another. Leon's sudden and strange departure puzzled the duck, and he found himself unable to put it out of his mind.

As the day progressed, Donald saw no more of Leon, and when the sun sank below the horizon, he returned to Merlin's house more perplexed than ever. Back in his room, he saw that Goofy was already changing out of his work clothes and into his pajamas. "Hey buddy!" Goofy shouted gleefully at Donald's arrival, eliciting a sharp hiss from Merlin, who was trying to sleep. Goofy clapped his hands over his mouth. "How'd your day go?" he whispered sheepishly after a quick glance at the old wizard.

"Not bad," shrugged the duck. "Yours?"

"Great! Me and Sephiroth got a whole mess of work done, hyuck!"

Donald recalled how Sephiroth's return had been a surprise for them all. Initially, everyone had been reluctant to trust Sephiroth, but the silver-haired enigma insisted that he just wanted to help. After seeing what a hard worker he was, they had gradually grown more at ease around him.

Indeed, it seemed that Goofy and Sephiroth were turning out to be the best of friends. Donald had had few opportunities to talk to him, but Goofy was always telling him about things that Sephiroth did or said that made him laugh. The one person who couldn't warm up to him was Aerith, who claimed that she got a strange feeling in her midsection every time she was around him.

Donald tugged off his sweat-soaked shirt. "By the way, did you hear about Aerith's party?"

"Shore did, pal," said Goofy. "Tifa asked me to go with her, so I might as well humor her."

Donald raised an eyebrow, recalling what Leon had told him earlier. "Won't Cloud object to that?"

Goofy shrugged. "Not much he can say, is there? The early bird gets the germ, as they say. Anyway…"

"It's WORM!" the duck protested.

"…Anyway, Tifa already asked me," Goofy continued. "Although, to be honest, the one I really…" His voice trailed off, and he glanced over to make sure that Merlin was asleep. "The one I really hoped would ask me," he continued with a rather sad smile, "is Sephiroth."

"Goofy!" Donald scolded, drawing back the covers and flopping down onto the bed. "You know that the Bible forbids homosexual love!"

Goofy looked guiltily at the floor. "I know that… but it's what my heart's tellin' me. My heart's never lied to me before, y'know?"

Unsure of how to respond, Donald shrugged and rolled over. The two exchanged good nights, and soon the cottage was filled with the sounds of Goofy snoring. Donald, however, lay awake. He gazed out the window at the beautiful, star-filled sky. For a second, he thought he glimpsed a pattern that looked like Leon's face. A second later, all he saw were regular stars.

He couldn't sleep. His mind was filled with thoughts of the day, of Leon's strange behavior. Had he been acting that way because… No, it couldn't be. Donald swallowed and drove the thought from his mind. It returned an instant later, and this time he could not ignore it. Had Leon wanted to ask him to the party? And more importantly, did he _want_ Leon to ask him?

The words Goofy had spoken before echoed in his thoughts. "_…it's what my heart is telling me. My heart's never lied to me before, y'know?_" Donald sat up in bed, shocked at his sudden realization.

He loved Leon.

He had no idea how it had happened. How long had he even known him? Roughly two years? Their conversations had been sparse, Donald realized, while he, Sora, and Goofy were out on their adventures. It wasn't until recently that he had started really getting to know Leon.

Donald had initially noticed a kind of shy honesty behind the warrior's stern expression. The youth captured his attention the way no one, not even Daisy, ever had. It was Leon's awkward kindness that had made him feel welcome during the first weeks he and Goofy had worked on Radiant Garden. His nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, had remained at Disney Castle. With few people to talk to, the long days of work often left Donald feeling lonely.

Goofy was his friend and always would be, but due to their positions the two hardly saw each other during the day, and by night they were too exhausted to talk. Donald knew that they would never go their separate ways; they simply didn't see much of each other these days. Cid was often impossible to talk to, and most of the others worked elsewhere in the city. No, there really wasn't anyone else around for the duck to connect with besides Leon, and Donald was only now realizing the extent of his feelings beneath the casual surface of the friendship.

He thought again of Leon's bizarre actions. Was Leon going to ask him to Aerith's party? A nervous bubble of hope began to rise in the duck's stomach, and he began to feel excited. Was it wrong? A human and an animal? What would the others say about that? He didn't care. Clutching his pillow, Donald was dimly aware of his drooping eyelids as his thoughts became hazy and he drifted slowly to sleep.


	2. Obstacles and Pawns

**Chapter 2: Obstacles and Pawns**

"Heya Donald! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

The sun was high in the sky as midday approached. Yuffie fidgeted, her hands behind her back. Donald glanced at Cid, who nodded. "Won't be needin' you for a few minutes, but don't be too long."

"Right. I'll be back soon," the duck called back, and the pilot nodded. Donald turned to Yuffie. "Whatcha need?"

"Come with me," she replied, motioning to an isolated area behind one of the newer, uninhabited buildings. When they were safely out of sight and earshot, Yuffie began, as casually as she could, "So you and Squall-er, Leon seem to be getting along pretty well." She smiled nervously.

Donald nodded slowly after a moment, his eyes moving briefly to the brown-haired figure toiling away atop the unfinished wall several yards in front of them. "Yes, he's a good person. I like him." He looked back at Yuffie questioningly.

"Yeah, he's the best," she agreed. "Well, what I wanted to know is… well… Does he ever talk about me?" she finally burst out, and then she blushed deeply, failing to keep her expression nonchalant.

Donald looked up into the air at nothing, as if trying to think. At last he said, "Um, I'm sure he's mentioned you a few times, yeah. Why?"

"What has he said?" the girl continued eagerly, ignoring Donald's question.

"Nothing too major; I would've remembered if it were something big. He said that you used to be a thief," Donald added thoughtfully, causing Yuffie's embarrassment to temporarily subside to a sheepish green. "What's on your mind?" the duck continued, already knowing the answer.

"I… well, the truth is that I have a bit of a crush on him, I guess," Yuffie stammered, turning even redder. Donald said nothing. "I mean, he's only a year older than I am, and I've known him forever," the girl continued. "We've been really close since we were kids. I wondered if maybe you knew if he felt the same way."

Donald blinked. The enthusiasm he had felt the night before was dying rapidly as he looked at the girl's eager face. "I couldn't tell you," he said. "He might, but if he does, he hasn't shown me any indication."

Yuffie's face fell. After a moment, however, she looked up at Donald with an undaunted, confident expression. "Well, that's ok. I'll see if I can't find out myself. I'm hoping he'll ask me to Aerith's party."

"Why don't you just ask him yourself?" the duck replied, although he had no idea why.

Yuffie looked taken aback for a moment before her face broke into a shy grin. "Ask him myself? Wouldn't that be a little like announcing my feelings to him right then and there?"

Donald shrugged. "Tifa asked Goofy."

Yuffie's mouth fell open. "Goofy? Are you serious? But what about Cloud?"

"I don't know, but I really doubt she has any feelings for Goofy. So it probably won't be suspicious if you ask Leon." He paused. "I should be getting back to work." Donald began heading back to his pile of bricks, but Yuffie dashed after him and grabbed his arm.

"Thanks a lot, Donald. Think you could keep me updated on anything Squa-uh, Leon says about me?"

"Sure."

For the next hour, Donald tried to figure out exactly why he had just encouraged Yuffie to go after the guy he wanted. He had begun to get cold feet about the whole thing, it was true, and the confidence and excitement he had fallen asleep with were no more, having seemingly vanished when Yuffie started talking to him. Now Donald felt rather hopeless about it, having severe doubts that Leon had even considered what he was thinking. It was better for Leon to be with a human like Yuffie; that way things would be much easier for all involved. Still, a part of Donald was furious with himself for acting before he knew without a doubt what his chances were.

Bitterly, he snatched a brick from the pile and nearly flung it into Cid's waiting arms. The pilot took a few steps back, wincing. He eyed the duck with indignant concern. "Everything all right with you?" he said, his eyebrow raised. "I almost think you were tryin' to break my ribs."

"Ah, sorry about that," Donald replied hurriedly. "I'm just kinda mad at myself."

"That right?" Cid blew out a few puffs of black smoke. "Well how 'bout that," he said shortly, turning back to his work.

Leon came down the ladder towards the end of the day, drenched in sweat. Donald was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice until the warrior tapped him on the shoulder. Leon looked amused. "You space out a lot. I said your name three times and you just stood there."

"Sorry," Donald apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time that week. "What's new? How's the wall coming along?"

"Uh… See for yourself," Leon offered, gesturing awkwardly to the wall. Donald blinked stupidly and looked at it, inwardly cursing himself for his clumsy words.

"Huh. It's coming along," the duck said finally, wishing he could crawl back to Merlin's house and die. Then he felt a sudden surge of courage or perhaps desperation. Whatever it was, it drove him to speak. "Listen, Leon. About Aerith's party…" Donald hesitated, imagining how angry Yuffie would be when she found out that he had asked Leon to the party. He put it from his mind. "D'you… gah," he choked. He licked his bill, eliciting a curious look from Leon, and continued. "Do you want to go to Aerith's party with me?"

Donald's heart was now thundering in his chest, and he thought he must be trembling like a madman. If Leon's bewildered face didn't discourage him, his response did. "I'm… going with Aerith. She asked me."

"Oh." Donald was at a loss for words.

"Aerith asked me," Leon repeated.

"Oh."

After a long and very embarrassing pause, Leon coughed fakely. "I've gotta… ah. Over here," he finished weakly, and he strode off. Donald's legs shook and he felt sick to his stomach. Carrying one last brick over to Cid and wordlessly dropping it to the ground, he started for Merlin's house.

He hadn't gone far when Yuffie bounded into view clutching a party invitation. Beaming, she danced over to him and spun around excitedly, nearly falling and accidentally slapping Donald in the face. She clapped her hands to her mouth, but she didn't really seem distressed. "Sorry! I'm just so excited. I thought a lot about what you said, Donald, and I decided that it's worth a shot! I'm going to do it! I'm gonna ask Leon to the party!"

"Don't bother," Donald murmured, rubbing his face. "He's going with Aerith."

The girl's face exploded with disappointment. "Oh." She looked at her feet. "Oh. How do you know?"

"He told me a minute ago. She asked him, and I guess he accepted."

"I see." She looked dolefully at the invitation in her hand. "Well, dammit," she said, crushing it and throwing it to the ground.

"Tell me about it," the duck replied, eyeing the crumpled paper solemnly.

Yuffie looked at him with utter confusion. "Huh?"

"I just mean that I feel your pain," he added quickly, narrowly avoiding what could have been a very awkward and potentially unpleasant situation.

"Yeah, damn," she said regretfully. "Well, not much reason for me to go now."

"I guess," replied the duck, and then an idea came into his head. "Unless… do you want to go with me?"

"Huh?" she said again, giving him yet another surprised look.

"Sure," Donald continued. "We can go together. It'll be fun." From the look on Yuffie's face, he could tell that she didn't have the same opinion at all, but he was a fast thinker. "Come on, you owe me for earlier, and you can't give up yet. After all, Aerith asked Leon, not the other way around. For all you know, he might've just accepted out of courtesy when he really wanted to ask you. Besides, this way you can go to the party and spy on Leon all you want. Since you'll have a date, you won't carry a stalker vibe and he'll be less likely to be creeped out."

Yuffie's face shone with wonder and admiration. "That's a great idea, Donald! Heh, you're a sneaky one."

"You know it," Donald replied with what he wished was a fake grin. Guilt was tearing him open from the inside.

Yuffie beamed again. "I think you and I are going to become very good friends, Donald Duck." She stooped and picked up the crumpled invitation. "Well, I guess I'll see you then!"

They waved goodbye and headed in their separate directions. Donald trudged forward, feeling a strange mixture of cunning and misery. He had just manipulated an eager girl by offering her a chance to observe Leon, when the pathetic reality was that he wanted to do the very same thing and needed her there to avoid drawing the warrior's attention. He felt like such a stalker.

As he entered Merlin's house and moved toward his bed, he noticed that Goofy wasn't in yet. Merlin was asleep, as he always seemed to be when Donald got home in the evenings. The duck changed into his pajamas and climbed miserably into bed. No sooner had he shut his eyes, however, than Goofy burst into the doorway shouting excitedly.

"For God's sake!" cried Merlin, ever the light sleeper.

"Oops!" said Goofy. "Gawrsh, I forgot again, Mr. Merlin. I'm real sorry."

The wizard snorted in reply and turned away, going back to sleep almost instantly. Goofy crept to Donald's bedside looking as if it was all he could do to keep from jumping up and down. "Guess who just asked me to Aerith's party?" he whispered.

"Uh, Sephiroth?" Donald asked. Goofy nodded gleefully. "But didn't you already say you'd go with Tifa?" the duck said quietly, giving his friend an unintentionally stern look.

Goofy's smile faded a little. "Well, yeah, and I still am, but don't you see what this means? It means that Sephiroth wanted to go with me, just like I wanted to go with him!" He began humming and tugging off his work clothes.

Donald grinned wearily. "True enough. I'm happy for you, pal. Maybe next time you and he can go together."

"Let's hope so," Goofy practically sang, struggling into his pajamas. Donald turned over in bed and stared at the far wall, wondering why in the world Tifa would want to ask Goofy to be her date to a party.

"How 'bout you, buddy? You got a date yet?" Goofy went on, beaming.

Donald smiled back at his friend. "Yeah, I asked Yuffie not too long ago."

Goofy's mouth fell open. "Yuffie? Garwsh…"

Donald grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Why so surprised? What are you trying to say, Goofy?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Goofy hastily added, smiling good-naturedly. "Good goin'!"

"Yeah, good going," Donald murmured, half to himself. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "Leon thinks you're crazy and Yuffie thinks you're a saint," he said under his breath. "Good freakin' job, duck."


	3. Before the Party

**Chapter 3: Before the Party**

Donald was accustomed to Disney Castle's summers of sweltering humidity. Compared to those, Radiant Garden's summers were a taste of paradise. The days were faintly, pleasantly warm, with enough of a mild chill in the air to keep one active and excited. It certainly made it easier to stay energized throughout the workday. And perhaps the nicest part—although the work was at times strenuous, on a good day Donald wouldn't be a complete sweaty mess at the end; if he chose to, he could visit the pub before heading home and nobody there would notice that he had spent the entire day doing manual labor.

This day, the day of Aerith's party, was especially perfect. As Donald worked the last brick into place and descended the ladder, he noted that he was still presentable. A change of clothes was in order, but a shower wouldn't be necessary.

The party was still a couple hours off. He was supposed to pick Yuffie up half an hour before it started, so he had time to kill. How to get ready for a night of nervous glances across the room?

He showered, of course. Didn't need to, but why not? One could never be too clean. Afterwards, he dressed and sat on his bed, his eyes moving idly between the window, through which the sky could be seen gradually darkening, and the clock on the wall above Merlin's desk. He wondered where Goofy was.

A knock on the door. Donald's initial split-second hope was: _Leon, come to tell me that things fell through with Aerith and that he wants to go with me!_ But that was silly, Donald knew. Merlin and Goofy never knocked, so it was probably someone looking for the wizard's assistance. He sprang up from the bed, crossed the room, and opened the door.

Sora grinned back at him. "Donald!"

Before Donald had processed this, he found himself crushed in Sora's embrace. "Been a while," Sora said, letting go of the duck and leaning past him to peer into the house. "Goofy here?"

"He isn't," said Donald, looking over Sora's shoulder. There were people standing behind him. Kairi, Riku, and Xehanort's Heartless he knew, but the other two were strangers, though they did seem eerily familiar to him. One was a blonde girl in a white dress; the other, a blond boy wearing an orange shirt that said BHK in yellow letters.

"Hiya Kairi, Riku, Xehanort's Heartless," he said, nodding to each of them in turn. "Who are your friends?"

Sora laughed. "We decided to let our other selves out to play tonight. It's a party, after all."

"Other selves…?" Donald blinked. "A party? Wait a minute… Aerith invited all of you too?"

"From what I heard, she invited everybody!" said Kairi.

Donald laughed, as much out of surprise as happiness. "You're all going to Aerith's party too?"

"They are," said Sora, gesturing backwards toward Kairi, Riku, and Xehanort's Heartless. "I'll actually be throwing my own party next door exclusively for all the people trapped inside my heart. I expect the guest count to be about twice that of Aerith's party. Wasn't really my idea, but I guess I'm not the only person with a say in matters of what I do anymore."

"Y'don't say," said Donald, baffled. "Well I'm glad you stopped by. Truth is, I was bored and kinda nervous sitting here by myself."

"Nervous?" said Sora. "About what? That's the opposite of what you should be feeling on the night of a party with your friends!"

"I'm a little shy about it," said Donald, glancing at the others out of the corner of his eye.

"Ah, I get it." Sora turned around. "You guys, would you mind if I talked to Donald alone for a bit?"

"Not at all. Great to see you again, Donald," said Kairi, smiling.

"And we'll see you again in a few hours," said Riku.

Kairi's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's right! We'll see you then!"

The blond-haired kid with the BHK shirt nodded, his expression serious and meaningful. "Nice to finally meet you like this." The blonde girl beside him bowed and turned to go with the others. Xehanort's Heartless scowled before turning to follow them. Sora frowned.

"Don't let him out of your sight!" he called after them. Riku just waved without looking back, and Sora turned back to face Donald. Donald started to open his mouth, but Sora held up a palm. "Wait. We're not alone yet." He stood up straight and rigid, and a strange look spread across his face. "Ok, everybody out!"

And Donald's mouth fell open as, before his eyes, a long line of black-robed figures, each with a more bizarre hairstyle than the last, marched out of Sora's body and stood at attention, like an army. There was no counting this sea of faces, most of which resembled Sora's but a handful bearing resemblance to Kairi and one or two looking suspiciously like Tarzan.

"We've got some time to kill before the party, and I need to have a private conversation with Donald. Can you guys go and help Cid repair things?" Sora said, addressing all of them. The group dispersed, leaving just the two of them standing there. Sora exhaled deeply. "Now then. What are you nervous about?"

Donald heaved a sigh of his own. "Well, it's a long st—"

"Wait," said Sora. "Sorry, wait just another second." He scrunched up his face, coughed, and smacked the side of his head a few times. A tall woman with long brown hair fell out. She wore a red trench coat and a red fedora. The three stared at each other.

"Who are you?" said Sora.

"Don't act like you're surprised," she said in a husky voice. She stood up and abruptly darted off down the street and into an alley.

"I think we're alone now," said Sora.

Donald noted that he looked deeply disturbed, even violated. But if his dilemma with Leon was to be discussed, it would have to be now, before the time came to pick up Yuffie. "It's a long story," he began again. "And you might respect me less once I'm done telling you. But you're my friend, and we've been through a lot together, so I hope you'll give me a break."

"Of course, Donald! We'll always be friends."

"I'd also prefer that this stay between us. I haven't told anyone else aside from Goofy, not even King Mickey, and I'd like to keep it that way for now."

Sora whipped out his keyblade and aimed it at his own mouth. "My lips are sealed!" he said, grinning.

"Come inside," Donald said, stepping back into the house and beckoning for Sora to follow. "Hopefully Merlin won't be back for a while."

They sat on the wooden floor in the dark, and Donald told him everything that had been going through his head for the past week. About Leon; about himself; about his guilt regarding Yuffie.

"Gosh, Donald. That's a lot to be dealing with all at once!" said Sora. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you for a moment about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Donald rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. "I know. I was raised Christian. I know these thoughts I'm having are bad. But Sora, they don't feel bad. They feel just like any other time I've ever felt love." He hung his head helplessly. "I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean, what to do?" Sora said. He spread his hands, as if demonstrating a card trick. "You have to follow your heart and go after Leon!"

"Huh?"

"The Bible portrays homosexuality as a sin, but Jesus never said a thing about it. He talked more about patience and love and kindness, all things you have in spades, Donald! Well, aside from patience, maybe, sometimes." He stuck out his tongue, and Donald smiled weakly.

"I don't know…" said Donald. "That seems like a pretty simplistic deduction."

Sora shook his head. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Jesus was just a-ok with homosexuality. I have no idea what he thought about it. I just know that he didn't mention it, and so there's a lot of debate about whether it's ok or not. Some people are going to tell you you're right, and some people are going to tell you you're wrong. But no one really knows, even when they say they do. That's why you've just gotta follow your heart! That's how I've always lived."

"That's true," said Donald. "You really have, at least since I've known you. And you're not a bad guy at all."

Sora nodded. "And even if you're wrong, Jesus has got to understand that it's hard to know whether you're wrong or not, and he'll know that you did your best. He'll love you anyway, Donald! Either that, or the people who say animals don't have souls are right, and in that case it won't matter what you do because it'll be impossible for you to go to either Heaven or Hell."

Donald smiled broadly. "You're right. Thanks, Sora. I feel better now." Then his shoulders slumped, and he hung his head again. "Still feel bad about using Yuffie, though."

Sora shrugged. "Follow your heart about that too. If you think it's a bad thing to do, you probably shouldn't. For your own sake as well as hers."

"But I already told her I'd go with her. And I can't just not look at Leon at the party. That'd be like asking me not to breathe."

Sora thought for a moment. "Are you serious about Leon? About pursuing him?"

"I—" Donald was at a loss for words. "I don't know. Yes? I want to be."

"If you're serious about him," said Sora, "then you can't be ashamed of those feelings. Especially when it comes to Yuffie. You have to be straight with her and let her know that you're her rival, not her ally, at least when it comes to Leon. That's something Riku taught me, with Kairi. Riku and I are best friends. Maybe you and Yuffie will become closer friends through all of this."

"That's crazy. She'll just hate me."

"That's possible too," said Sora. "But I don't think Yuffie is that kind of person. And she's a thief, so she might like the excitement of trying to steal Leon before you do."

Donald stared at him. "Sora, when did you become so smart?"

"Oh, thanks a lot!" Sora teased. "Honestly, it must've been after I rejoined with Roxas. He learned a lot from Axel, and from his friends in Twilight Town, and his knowledge must have been added to mine."

"That sounds kind of absurd."

"I know, doesn't it?"

They both laughed. It felt good to laugh. Donald had been feeling tense for days.

"So," Sora went on, "you should use this party as an opportunity. Don't spy on Leon. Go up and talk to him. Get to know him more. It doesn't matter that he's with Aerith tonight. It's a party! Everyone can talk to everyone."

"I don't know," said Donald. "I'm still nervous about it. I mean, I know it's a party, but there's got to be something to the fact that everyone's asking other people to go with them, y'know?"

Sora waved him off. "That's just a formality. I don't think people even really know why they do some of those things. Trust me, you'll see plenty of intermingling, and no one will bat an eye if you do it too. Just have fun!"

"I'll try," said Donald.

Sora stood and stretched. "And now I need to go round up those freeloaders and prepare for my own party."

"I really am grateful," said Donald.

Sora waved him off again. "Don't mention it. We're friends. Just remember to follow your heart. It's the best advice I can give in almost any situation." And he walked out the door. "Now where are they?" Donald heard Sora say to himself. "And that weird lady. Where in the world is she?"

Donald looked at the clock. It was just about time for him to head to Yuffie's place. Moonlight shone through the window.

He felt better having a plan of attack for tonight, a plan for interacting with Leon and for dealing with Yuffie. He hoped she would be a good sport, and that she wouldn't be too upset with him for being dishonest. And he hoped Aerith wouldn't be attached to Leon all night.

xoxoxoxoxo

"There it is!" said Mickey, turning from the gummi ship's controls to glance back at the others as he pointed out at the monitor before him. "Radiant Garden. We're going to be a little late, though."

"That's all right," said Minnie. "We'll just be fashionably late. Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" she said, nudging the lady duck beside her.

"It certainly wouldn't," said Daisy. She smiled and cast her face down, blushing a little. "And what better way to surprise the man you haven't seen in months?"


End file.
